Chris Martin thanks Coldplay fans in Mumbai for ‘forgiving’ British colonialism

Chris Martin has thanked Coldplay fans in Mumbai, India, for “forgiving” British colonialism.

At Coldplay’s show at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, which was part of their Music of Spheres world tour, frontman Martin shared his gratitude for how welcoming fans were – especially because of Britain’s colonial past.

“This is our fourth visit to India, and the second time to play. First time we played a long show and we could not have asked for a better audience. Thank you for coming today everybody!” he said.

“Thank you for welcoming us even though we are from Great Britain. Thanks for forgiving us for all of the bad things Great Britain has done.”

Fans captured the moment and shared the footage online. The comments were mixed under one post on Instagram, with one user saying “Chris healing intergenerational trauma with a mic, stage and some tunes” while another said “ok but when did we forgive the them?”

Another asked: “What in the white guilt did I just watch?” You can see the moment here.

The British government ruled over India from 1858 until 1947 during a period known as The British Raj. Famines and poverty were common throughout the Indian subcontinent during this time, and the British government profited heavily from colonial rule. Britain has never formally apologised for colonising India.

The Mumbai was attended by around 75,000 people and is the band’s first in India since 2016, when they played at Global Citizen Festival. The band have got more Asian dates on the Music of Spheres tour, stopping at Hong Kong and Seoul.

Coldplay’s Asian ‘Music Of The Spheres’ tour dates are:

APRIL 2025

09: Hong Kong – Kai Tak Stadium (Support: Mystery Guest To Be Announced)

11: Hong Kong – Kai Tak Stadium (Support: Mystery Guest To Be Announced)

12: Hong Kong – Kai Tak Stadium (Support: Mystery Guest To Be Announced)

16: Seoul – Goyang Stadium (Support: Mystery Guest To Be Announced)

18: Seoul – Goyang Stadium (Support: Mystery Guest To Be Announced)

19: Seoul – Goyang Stadium (Support: Mystery Guest To Be Announced)

22: Seoul – Goyang Stadium (Support: Mystery Guest To Be Announced)

In other Coldplay-related news, the band announced their forthcoming ‘Music Of The Spheres’ concert in India will be streamed live. The Republic Day performance from Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium which goes out on January 26, will be available to viewers across the country on Disney+ Hotstar. It will also feature exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.

Coldplay will also stream A Film For The Future on YouTube on January 22 along with special 360-degree screenings also taking place at Lightroom venues in London, Manchester and Seoul.